Thill-holder for harness



(No Model.)

J. W. WATTS.

THILL HOLDER FOR HARNESS.

PamtenisadMar. 3, 1885.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

VNITED STATES PATENT Orricn,

JOHN W. WATTS, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

THlLL-HOLDER FOR HARNESS.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,266, dated March 3, 1885.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN IV. WATTS, of Montgomery, in the county of Montgomery and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Thill-Holders for Harnesses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the back-pad and skirt of a harness having my improved thillholder applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the thill-holder as it appears when looped for holding the thill, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the holder unlooped.

This invention has for its object to facilitate the work of hitching horses to one-horse vehicles; and the invention consists in providing the harness with (hill-holding straps instead ofloops,the straps being adapted to be wrapped around the thills and secured by a snaphook or buckle and ring, thus avoiding the necessity of sliding the thills through loops, as is now the common practice.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the back-pad or saddle of the harness, and B represents the skirt of a harness, which said parts may be ofthe ordinary or ofany approved construction. In this instance the skirt and thill strap or holder 6 are made in one piece; but

the latter may be made separate and buckled or otherwise secured to the skirt, if desired. The thill-holder G is a plain strap of suitable length to be wrapped around the thill. and provided at its outer end with the ring D, which is adapted to be held by the snap-hook E, secured to the strap or holder B the proper distance from its lower or free end, as will be understood from the drawings.

The snap-hook is made adjustable on the strap B by means of a pivoted tongue, F, (shown in Application filed May 17, 1884.

(No model.)

ed; and the thill-holder is cheap, practical,

and convenient, and can be applied to all kinds of harness.

I prefer to make the thill'holder C an extension of the skirt B of the harness; but for harness already in use the thill-holder C may be made of a separate strap adapted to be buckled to the skirt in place of the ordinary thill-loops.

I am aware that a halterstrap has been provided with a sliding snap-hook for engaging a ring or loop on the end of the strap; also, that a saddle has been provided with a strap, around which metallic clasps were passed. To these clasps a plate was secured, the plate being bent to form a loop, and being provided with a spring carrying a pin to hold it in position on the strap; and I do not claim such constructions as of my invention.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination, with the saddle A, of straps B, secured thereto and provided with rings D at their lower ends, apertures a, and a sliding snap-hook constructed to engage said apertures, whereby the strap may be wrapped around the thill to form a loop, 0, after the animal has been placed within a thill, substantially as set forth.

JNO. WV. WATTS.

- Witnesses:

H. STRASSBURGER, SIMON Loon. 

